Trouble of the Arranged Sort
by Saria-the-green-haired
Summary: (AU) Fifteen-year-old Yami leads a fairly uneventful life until something happens to turn it completely upside-down. How will Yami cope? (READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTES CAREFULLY) Seto/Yami *Completed 11/24*
1. Chapter One

Warnings: Insanity, het, yelling, annoying (yet loved) older siblings, parents, sore losers, and magic and logic pulled out of my ass.  
  
Pairings: Seto/Yami  
  
Disclaimer: Seto and Yami aren't mine, and neither is the theory of Shadow Games in ancient Egypt. The idea is mine, the plot is mine, Yami's brother is mine, and all the twisted logic is mine. Don't steal.  
  
Notes: Fear my brain. Fear it. Fear its neurosis and insanity. This is the product of my brain's wanderings in my subconscious. Be very afraid. This is an AU, which means that I basically made everything up. Well, it's sort of AU and sort of not, since this is set in ancient Egypt, but I have screwed around with the surrounding and people in ancient Egypt. So, think of it what you will.  
  
You should probably read my story "Devotion" ( http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=985148 ) to find out exactly how insane and twisted I am and to get an overview of what the world is like (since this story is based heavily on what happens in Devotion except that Yami's brother does NOT die, but the family relations and magical issues are the same). And yes, I'm scaring myself since I seem to be making this a universe. =_=;;; And if you don't feel like reading the whole story right now, I shall attempt to make a very quick version of the situation in this story. Basically, Yami has an older twin brother who is very skilled at Shadow Magic and the Shadow Games while Yami is skilled at white magic. Yami's older brother is probably going to be the pharaoh when he's older and Yami will be the High Priestess. (You read that right) And that concludes the very quick version.  
  
One last thing in case people who adore yaoi (as I do) are wondering about my particular choice of pairing: Yes, I could have made it a yaoi story with Seto and Yami's brother (or I could have made Yami the brother), and I was considering that, but then I thought about it for a while. First, I decided that Yami's staying the sister (go read "Devotion" right now if you're very confused or going "WHAT THE HELL?") because I'm lazy. =p Then, I thought about the pros and cons of Seto being with Yami's brother. First, that wouldn't fit with the storyline my brain is currently clinging to with the tenacity of super glue. Secondly, in the show, Seto seems to genuinely dislike some of Yami's traits at first (aside from the ones that allow him to beat Seto at Duel Monsters, I mean), and I realized that I unconsciously gave Yami's brother many of those qualities, which wouldn't really work for a pairing between the two of them. Besides, I need to let Seto be properly bitter at being beaten for once. ^.~  
  
And "kage" is, to the best of my not-so-vast knowledge, "shadow" in Japanese.  
  
And because I couldn't quite grant Masaki-sama's request in "Devotion," Seto will be a fairly big pervert in this. =D And they're all around the same age, but Yami and Kage are shorter than Seto, so he calls them little sometimes...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Trouble of the Arranged Sort  
  
by Saria-the-green-haired  
  
~* Chapter One *~  
  
"Aniki! Father!" the eleven-year-old girl yelled, multi-colored hair flying as she ran into the room, startling its occupants; a young boy who was an exact duplicate of the girl except for his hair, which stuck straight up in spikes, and an older man with hair similar to the boy's. All three were clothed in robes of the finest silk.  
  
"Yes, my daughter?" the man asked, looking up from the various papyrus scrolls he and the boy were looking at.  
  
"Can I stay in here for a while, father?" the daughter in question asked, smiling hopefully.  
  
"You skipped your lessons again, didn't you?" the boy asked, grinning.  
  
"Yami...," their father said tiredly.  
  
"I did, but I know them already!" Yami protested. "And they're so *boring*! At least aniki gets to learn interesting stuff. Can I stay? Please, father?"  
  
"I suppose," her father sighed. "But you can explain it to your mother when she comes charging in here."  
  
"Okay!" Yami said happily, sitting next to her brother and peering at the papyrus scrolls. "No fair, aniki," she pouted. "You get to learn stuff like politics."  
  
"It's not fun when you're forced to learn it," her brother replied, scowling at the scrolls.  
  
"Now now, Kage," their father said. "You have to learn it, seeing as you're the crown prince."  
  
"But what if I don't want to learn it?" Kage said sullenly.  
  
"That's why I'm learning it too, so I can make sure you don't accidentally insult people too much when you're pharaoh," Yami said teasingly.  
  
"Even though women aren't supposed to know politics?" her brother needled back.  
  
"That's stupid and you know it. Besides, it's your own fault for being so good at the Shadow Games, aniki. If you weren't, you wouldn't be crown prince," Yami said matter-of-factly. Her brother's response was to stick his tongue out at her.  
  
"Children...," their father said. "Don't fight-" he started to say, but was interrupted as a striking woman with deep violet eyes came into the room, a scowl on her face.  
  
"Yami!" she said, frowning. "Why aren't you at your lessons?!"  
  
"Ooh, busted!" Kage whispered. His sister gave him a Look before turning to their mother.  
  
"Because they're BORING and I already know the ten different ways to say no without being overly insulting and the twenty-seven ways to tell someone that I'll think about doing something for them without actually promising that I'll do it. AND I can do all the ceremonial spells and chants in my sleep! What else do I have to learn, mother?" Yami complained.  
  
"How to be a proper lady, for one," their mother said sternly. "And not run around the courtyards ripping your clothes, not to mention wearing your brother's clothes and ripping THOSE."  
  
"But I'm not a lady! And aniki LETS me borrow his clothes because they're easier to climb trees and stuff and ride horses in!" Yami protested. The boy in question smiled innocently and nodded.  
  
"I do, mother. Besides, imoutochan and I are only eleven; we aren't grown up yet," he said.  
  
"But you will be, and both of you will be in positions of power and people will look up to you. What will they think of you if you two continue to run around like wild animals?" their mother asked.  
  
"We'll deal with that when we're grown up then, mother," the elder twin said while his sister nodded vigorously.  
  
"I suppose," their mother said, sighing. "And now you two are going to ask if you can go outside and play for a while," she continued, smiling a little. "Am I right?"  
  
"Can we, mother? Please?" Yami asked.  
  
"If your brother has no more lessons today...," she said.  
  
"I don't, right, father?" Kage said, turning to his father with pleading eyes.  
  
Their father, who had been watching the scene with some amusement, smiled. "You're finished for today, I suppose, Kage."  
  
"Yay! Can we, mother?" Kage asked.  
  
Smiling affectionately at her children, their mother nodded. "You may."  
  
Within seconds, the two children were gone, the pitter-patter of their sandaled feet and their cheerful yells echoing through the hallways of the palace.  
  
"They're wonderful children," their father remarked, coming up behind his wife.  
  
"When they're not being little monsters," she retorted, but there was a hint of fondness in her voice.  
  
"Indeed," their father said.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
[Four years later]  
  
"Aniki! Are you ready yet?! The visitors will be here any minute!" Yami, now fifteen, called, tapping her feet impatiently. A gentle breeze filled the corridor, ruffling her white floor-length robes, crimson cloak, and hair.  
  
"I'm coming! Honestly, imoutochan! You nag more than mother does!" Kage said, stepping out of his room to stand next to his twin.  
  
"You KNOW how upset mother will be if we're late to greet the guests!" Yami said, dragging her brother off by the arm.  
  
"Where were you two?" their mother asked as they came outside, frowning.  
  
"Waiting for aniki," Yami replied promptly.  
  
"I should have known," their mother sighed.  
  
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Kage protested.  
  
"Exactly what you think, dear brother," Yami said. Kage glared sullenly at his sister.  
  
"Come on, you two! They're here!" their mother hissed, pulling them up to the front where they stood side-by-side behind their father. "And behave!" she whispered before standing next to their father.  
  
"I still don't see why they have to come," Kage said quietly to his sister.  
  
"They're old family friends and their son is supposedly very good at the Shadow Games so they want to see if he's able to defeat you in a Shadow Game, which would mean you wouldn't be crown prince anymore," Yami whispered back.  
  
"Hmmph," Kage said. "Like some nobleman's son can defeat *me*."  
  
"It's always possible, now be quiet!" Yami whispered as the caravan of camels and horses arrived, a chariot in front.  
  
As soon as the caravan stopped, palace servants immediately rushed forward and began to help unload the family's belongings. A tall, stately man with graying black hair and blue eyes stepped off the chariot, handing the reins to a waiting servant. His wife, a slender but equally tall woman with long brown hair and brown eyes followed him. Both knelt respectfully in front of their pharaoh. Their son, just as tall with brown hair and blue eyes, followed suit, an air of confidence around him.  
  
"Rise," Yami and Kage's father said, laughing. "No need for that kind of respect, my friends."  
  
"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" the nobleman said, smiling as he and his wife stood.  
  
"Yes, it has. So, this is your son and champion Seto? He does look the part, I must say," The queen said jokingly, which was true. Yami felt a faint warmth in her cheeks as she looked at his bare chest; the nobleman's son was well built and quite handsome. Hastily, Yami remembered her manners.  
  
"I welcome you to our palace. I hope you enjoy your stay here," she murmured, bowing. Seto looked at the girl before him with some interest. She was shapely and pretty enough, her coloring giving her an exotic allure. She and her twin made a striking pair, both wearing similar clothes and glowing with magic. But while her twin's aura held the dark appeal of the shadows, her aura was pure and almost blindingly white. It was soon apparent who was the more polite of the twins, as Yami gave her brother a sharp nudge in the ribs with her elbow, compelling him to bow and offer his courteous greetings as well.  
  
"As you can see, these are our children," the queen said proudly. "Kage, our son and Yami, our daughter."  
  
"How lucky you were to have twins," Seto's mother said, smiling.  
  
"Not very lucky when the two of them decided to wreak havoc on all of us," Yami and Kage's mother said laughingly. "Those two caused trouble just by breathing when they were younger."  
  
"Enough talk about the past," Seto's father interrupted. "Shall we get to the point of our visit?"  
  
"Why, certainly," the pharaoh said. "Are you two ready to play?" he asked, turning to his son and Seto.  
  
"Of course," Seto said arrogantly.  
  
Kage nodded, smiling fiercely. "Let's play!"  
  
********************************************************************  
  
Kage smiled triumphantly; the game had been long and difficult, but he had emerged victorious, just like he had known he would. That would show everyone for doubting him! "Looks like you lose, Seto," he called, smirking.  
  
Seto glared, seething. How dare that runt of a boy beat him! He was a nobleman's son, undefeated in his city! His rage increased as the princess ran up to her brother and embraced him, laughing delightedly and congratulating him. He was still fuming when Yami and Kage came up to him.  
  
"Good game," Kage said, still smirking.  
  
"You played wonderfully, Seto," she said, smiling in a friendly manner that seemed somehow mocking.  
  
That only fueled Seto's rage. It was bad enough to have been defeated, but to be ridiculed by his opponent and humiliated so was unacceptable! He would defeat the prince, no matter what! "Save your lies," he said coldly, pushing past the two, leaving them bewildered.  
  
Meanwhile, after witnessing the results of the duel, the two sets of parents immediately retired to a room and began discussing various things. After they adjourned to prepare for dinner, one set of parents set out to find their son and tell them about the decisions that had been reached.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
Dinner was a tense affair, Seto glaring poisonously at Kage whenever the latter happened to look in the former's direction. Kage thought it was stupid that Seto was so mad over a simple thing like a game. Yami agreed partially, but could empathize with the blue-eyed youth. She glanced hesitantly at the cobalt-eyed boy, and was startled as he glared at her as well. What had she done? Oh well, she thought, tuning in to the current conversation, which was on the construction of her father's pyramid.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
When dinner was over, the adults asked the children to stay for a while, to "discuss some things," they said. Seto, who knew perfectly well what they were going to discuss, stood apart from Yami and Kage and glowered. Yami and Kage, who had no idea what was going to happen, stood next to each other and looked confused.  
  
"What do you wish to tell us, father?" Yami asked finally.  
  
"We've made a few decisions," their father began. "And we felt that we should tell the three of you about them, seeing as they concern you."  
  
"What are they?" Kage asked curiously as Seto scowled fiercely.  
  
"First, since Seto is skilled at white magic as well as Shadow magic, we've decided that he'll be your High Priest when you're pharaoh," their mother said calmly. "It would be very beneficial to the both of you."  
  
"WHAT?!" Kage yelled. "You can't!"  
  
"We can and we will, Kage," their father said warningly. "There's no use protesting about it; our decision is made."  
  
"All right," Kage said sulkily. "What are the other decisions?" he asked.  
  
Instead of answering him, their father turned to Yami. "What do you think about it?" he asked gently. "What would you think of being in close contact with Seto for a long time?"  
  
Thinking that they were referring to Seto being the High Priest, Yami answered, a little confused. "I suppose it wouldn't be that hard if we got along, father. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Well," Seto's mother said, smiling fondly at Yami. "That brings us to our next decision."  
  
Seto's scowl deepened.  
  
Yami was even more confused now. "What does Seto and I getting along have to do with anything?" she asked.  
  
"Everything," her mother said.  
  
"Why?" Kage asked suspiciously.  
  
"Yes, why, mother?" Yami inquired.  
  
"Because you and Seto are now engaged," her mother answered.  
  
"*WHAT*?!!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Saria: And everyone probably saw that one coming from the title...XP This fic amuses me and probably scares a lot of people. ^_______^ Leave any comments telling me what you thought of it in a review!  
  
Until next chapter,  
  
Saria-the-green-haired 


	2. Chapter Two

Warnings: I think it's time to add OOCness to the mix...for the original warnings, go read chapter one. Kiddies had best scatter, though. Seriously, it's for your own good, you innocents. This story is getting decidedly un- cute and corrupted.  
  
Pairing: Seto/Yami. Don't like the idea, don't' read it. Though, I'm sure I would be fairly amused by the flames people would give me.  
  
Disclaimer: Kage is mine. All mine. =^^= So is the plot and this particular universe. Everything else is not mine.  
  
Notes: Twisted? Oh yes I am. And I take no responsibility for the denial or neurosis's of any characters in this story, nor do I take responsibility for what happens to stories when I get sick and try to write.  
  
Anar: ^-^ Many thanks for reviewing~!  
  
RD: XD What heaven are you thinking of? ^.~  
  
Masaki-sama: XD XD XD As much as I can make him, anyways. He IS supposed to be a Priest, after all...  
  
Blueberry Shortcake: Cute is not the word I'm thinking of...this will probably be fairly angsty for a bit, well, unfluffy anyways. 'Cause Seto's got to be in denial for a fair bit, doncha know...same with Yami, actually. ^_^ That's half the fun, after all. And then we get to see Kage get all wonderfully protective of his little sister, which is Bad News for Seto. =)  
  
LadySapphireStar: :feels happy: ^_^  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Trouble of the Arranged Sort  
  
By Saria-the-green-haired who is NOT smoking anything, thank you very much  
  
~* Chapter Two aka let's probe deeper into Saria's subconscious and try not to be scared *~  
  
"We're WHAT?" Yami asked, staring at her parents in shock. Well, that certainly explained why Seto had been upset...  
  
"That's insane!" Kage protested. "They can't be engaged! You can't do that!"  
  
"We can and they are, Kage," their father said firmly.  
  
"I'm only fifteen, father!" Yami objected. "I can't get married!"  
  
"So is my son," Seto's mother said. "Besides, the two of you won't be getting married right away, naturally. The wedding will be in a few months."  
  
"A few *months*?!" came the outraged cry, this time from all three of the teenagers in the room.  
  
"Yes, a few months, half a year at the most" the queen said calmly. "That's about how long it will take to plan the wedding, after all."  
  
Abruptly, Yami stood up and left the room. Kage got up, presumably to follow her, but stopped when his father shook his head.  
  
"You can talk to her later," he said gently, apologetically. "For now, just let her be."  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Yami wanted to scream and cry and make a mess, wanted to do anything to take her mind off her predicament. Instead of doing something loud and violent, she all but ran to her room and flopped bonelessly on her bed, staring up at the engraved ceiling while pondering the twist her life had taken. She had always thought that she would be in control of her life in some degree, able to do what she wanted to do within the bounds of reason. She would not be shackled to any one person except her brother the pharaoh. But now, she knew that it would all change. She would be married, and, powerful or not, she would be expected to be the dutiful wife, perfectly submissive and ladylike. She would be subjected to her husband's every whim and fancy, whether she liked it or not.  
  
"Six months," she whispered, curling up as she began to cry silently. That was all she had left...at the most. Less than six months of freedom, less than six months before she became a servant in everything but name. Six months before even her brother could not protect her from everything, no matter how hard he tried.  
  
Only a few months, she thought as she drifted into an uneasy sleep.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Later, a red-eyed figure quietly came into the room and stood by the bed, watching her toss and turn in her sleep.  
  
"Poor imoutochan," Kage murmured, noting the faint tear tracks on her cheeks. "Mother and father's minds are set, so there's nothing you can do except to accept it and deal with it."  
  
Smoothing her hair back, Kage leaned down and kissed her forehead gently, then walked out of the room, pausing at the door.  
  
"Don't worry, little sister," he said, looking back. "I'll be watching out for you. Always. Be brave, imoutochan."  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Yami greeted Seto cordially when she bumped into him the next day. All she got for her efforts were cold glares and rude words. Stung, she responded equally coldly the next time the two met, and it snowballed from there. A month and a half later, the two couldn't talk without insulting each other, though it was nowhere near as bad as when Seto and Kage talked (though that was probably too mild a term to describe their arguments), as Kage seemed to blame Seto for his sister's unhappiness.  
  
A day or two after a particularly bad fight, Seto and Yami were practically shoved together and told to "settle their differences and get better acquainted with each other." After twenty minutes of complete silence, Yami made a tentative offer.  
  
"Would you like to go for a ride?" she asked hesitantly. "Our horses are excellent," she added.  
  
Seto considered ignoring her, but remembered that his parents had told him to be civil at the very least. "Horseback riding?" he asked. "Sure, if you think you can keep up," he remarked casually. "I don't want any wimpy girls slowing me down if I go, screaming if they go too fast.  
  
"Not likely," Yami shot back, affronted. "I think the question is if *you* can keep up with *me*. I'm not some `wimpy girl,` as you put it; I'm quite the horsewoman. If you don't believe me, then I challenge you to a race to a place of my choosing. Do you accept it, or are you too scared?"  
  
"Scared? I don't think so," Seto said. "I accept your challenge, but I get to choose our mounts."  
  
"Fine by me," Yami said.  
  
"Then lead the way, my lady," Seto said with an exaggerated bow.  
  
Walking by him without so much as a backwards look, Yami swiftly made her way to the stables, seething inside. He thought she was weak and wimpy just because she was a girl, huh? He was going to get a rude awakening or she wasn't the pharaoh's daughter.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
"Have you chosen yet?" Yami asked a while later for the tenth time. "We'll all be dead and rotting before you choose one horse, at this rate."  
  
"Patience," Seto retorted. "And I'm done," he said, leading two horses towards the waiting princess. "Your mount, milady," he said, offering Yami the reins of a large black stallion with a wild look in its eyes. For himself he took a white stallion of the same build.  
  
"Thank you," Yami said, biting back a smirk. The horse Seto had chosen for her was the one that she normally rode, her personal favorite. "Let's go," she said as she mounted, thankful that she had worn a shorter skirt today. It was, as she had discovered through trial and error, very difficult to ride properly in ankle-length dresses.  
  
"Where to?" Seto queried, riding slightly behind her and staring rather blatantly at the amount of her tanned legs that was exposed, since she had pulled her skirt up slightly in order to ride. He was not unfamiliar with the female body, having seen various females (both honorable and not) in various garments that exposed a lot of skin. However, he had never seen a female expose herself like that and appear so oblivious to the fact that she was doing so.  
  
"This way," Yami called, setting off. She stopped at the edge of the desert, her mount prancing in place. "We'll race through that patch of trees over there," she said, pointing to their left. "A little ways beyond it there's a large stone pillar that will be the finish point. Agreed?"  
  
"Agreed," Seto said confidently, turning his mount. "On the count of three then?"  
  
Yami nodded, turning her own mount. "Are you ready to lose, Seto?" she taunted, smiling.  
  
"Never," Seto called back. "One...two...three!" he yelled, spurring his mount into action, Yami right behind him.  
  
For the first part of the race, Seto was in the lead, their mounts matched in speed and his head start giving him the lead he needed. Then they reached the trees and Yami pulled ahead, nimble hands deftly guiding her mount on a path that both knew well while Seto slowed down in the unfamiliar terrain. When they broke free of the trees, Yami was ahead by a full body length. The last part of the race was an all-out sprint, and Seto urged his stallion faster, but it was no use; Yami gave her mount its head and she, with her lighter build and weight, was nothing to the mighty stallion, which left Seto's far behind.  
  
"I did warn you," Yami said, eyes twinkling as Seto's stallion finally arrived at the stone pillar.  
  
"I suppose you did," Seto said grudgingly, a bit sore about losing to a girl.  
  
"Don't look so put out," Yami teased smilingly. "Follow me, I want to show you something," she said, her mount already moving away. Curious, Seto followed, wondering what the princess could possibly want to show him. "Here we are," Yami said finally after a long ride. "Here" was a little oasis in the sand, palm trees casting shadows over a small, sparkling pond. Yami dismounted in one smooth motion and led her thirsty mount to the water, which it drank happily.  
  
"How did you find this place?" Seto asked, dismounting as well and following suit.  
  
"My brother and I found it years ago, actually," Yami said, smiling slightly. "We always come here when it gets too boring or overwhelming at the palace. It's a great place to rest after a long ride and to hide out when our parents are upset. Wouldn't you agree?" she asked, sitting on the warm sand.  
  
"I guess," Seto said, looking around at the tranquil little oasis and sitting down as well, not too close yet not too far from his supposed fiancée. She really was quite pretty, in a wild sort of way, and he felt a faint stirring deep inside him as he looked at the way her clothes clung to her frame. Though she acted nothing like a lady, her body was proof enough that she was one. "I take it you ride often," he asked dryly, referring both to their race and to her statement about resting at the oasis.  
  
Yami laughed lightly, a pleasant sound on the ears. "Only every other day, as my mother tells me when I return home with another stained and ripped outfit," she said.  
  
"I see," Seto said. "And your brother comes with you?" he asked, his good mood diminishing slightly at the thought of the crown prince.  
  
"Of course," Yami said, before frowning slightly at him. "Why do you dislike my brother so much anyways?" she asked, remembering how mean he was towards her brother.  
  
"He defeated me," Seto replied. "Therefore, he is my rival, my enemy."  
  
"But I just beat you in a race," Yami pointed out. "Does that make me your enemy as well?"  
  
"That's different," Seto responded. "The race wasn't a serious thing; it didn't really count for anything."  
  
"If you say so," Yami said, sighing. Males.  
  
The two sat silently for a while, watching their mounts pretend to battle over the water, each lost in their own thoughts.  
  
"So," Seto said eventually. "What are we supposed to do about the wedding? Any ideas?"  
  
"None that would work, unfortunately," Yami answered. "My parents are so stubborn that they'll never change their minds. What about you?"  
  
"Same here, sadly," Seto replied.  
  
Yami sighed again. "I guess the most we can do is find a way to deal with it," she said, unconsciously echoing her brother's words.  
  
"Yeah," Seto said glumly. They talked about anything and nothing for a while, simply making conversation, not wanting to think about their future and what it held.  
  
"We should be getting back," Yami said after a while, standing up and calling her mount back. "Let's go," she called over her shoulder, climbing onto the waiting back of her stallion.  
  
"Back to hell and torture," Seto muttered as the two set off.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Once they had arrived back at the palace, the two left their horses in the stable and entered the palace, where Kage immediately pounced on Yami, demanding to know where she had gone.  
  
"We were just out riding, aniki," Yami said, touched by her brother's concern. "Nothing you need to worry about."  
  
"But you were gone for so long!" Kage said, ignoring the "we" in his sister's statement. Kage then proceeded to mother hen Yami until his mother forcibly pried him off of her, stating that they needed her for something and leading her away. Seto was told to follow, which he did so warily.  
  
"What do you need us for, mother?" Yami asked as she was led into a room.  
  
"Clothes fitting for the wedding," her mother replied calmly before clapping her hands. Instantly, two seamstresses appeared, one measuring Yami and the other Seto.  
  
After her initial protests proved futile, Yami sighed and docilely allowed herself to be poked and prodded with pins and needles. Seto put up more of a fuss, but quickly calmed down when his mother came in and glared at him, though he still grumbled quietly to himself. An eternity later, the two were released and they cheered happily until they were informed that they would have to return, if not the next day then the day after.  
  
Groaning as she walked back towards her chambers, Yami tried to cheer herself up. "It could be worse," she said quietly.  
  
"How could it possibly be worse?" Seto asked from behind her, blinking when she jumped in surprise.  
  
Wondering at his sudden civility, Yami pondered her answer. "Well," she said with an exaggerated air of thoughtfulness. "You could be horrendously ugly for a start...at least my husband-to-be ranks on the handsome side of the scale," she said, cheeks tinted pink.  
  
She thought he was handsome, Seto thought. That was good, because it meant a decent chance at-what was he thinking about? He was supposed to hate her and be mean to her, not be happy that she thought he was handsome, he thought crossly. Though, she made it kind of hard to be mean or spiteful when she smiled in that certain way or her eyes got that hurt look-what was he thinking?! Pushing those thoughts aside, Seto tuned in to what she was saying again.  
  
"-tact," she was saying. "You could also be rude and arrogant with an ego the size of the country. Oh wait, those last two describe you perfectly. Guess it IS pretty bad after all," she said playfully with an impish grin.  
  
"My `country-sized ego` is shrinking rapidly at all the negative comments such a pretty girl is giving me," he said in a would-be hurt voice. "I should hope that I would be a more likeable fiancé," he finished jokingly, though somewhere, he was deadly serious.  
  
"I'm terribly sorry that I've harmed your already fragile self-esteem," Yami said, not sounding sincere at all and wondering at this change in their relationship-uh, wrong word...in their friendship, if it could be called that. "Shall I fawn over you for a while to make you feel better?"  
  
"That would be greatly appreciated," Seto replied. "Feel free to start anytime," he added.  
  
"Oh look, we've run out of time," Yami said as she arrived at the entrance to her chambers. "That's just too bad for you, isn't it?"  
  
"You mean you're not inviting me in?" Seto said, putting on a wounded expression.  
  
"No, because I have a headache and I want to rest," Yami replied, no longer joking. "I bid thee farewell," she said, pushing the door open and stepping inside, closing it securely behind her.  
  
Slowly making his way back to his own chambers, Seto pondered the change in his feelings regarding Yami. He couldn't deny an attraction to the red-eyed princess, but he had thought that that was it; that his feelings were only physical. But then, why did he feel so happy when she smiled? And why did he feel so protective when she seemed unhappy, and so guilty when he was the cause of that unhappiness? Was he actually falling for her? No, that was preposterous...he was just tired. Yes, that was it, Seto thought to himself. That was all it was...  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Yami was wandering aimlessly around the palace after breakfast the next morning, since Kage was at his lessons (he had gotten more lessons when they grew older and Yami less, something which annoyed the prince to no end), no particular destination in mind. She turned the corner and ran into Seto.  
  
"Good morning," she said politely, nodding her head at him before preparing to walk past him. Catching her wrist in one hand, Seto gathered up his nerve.  
  
"Can we talk?" he asked softly, though in truth, he didn't have much of an idea as to what they would talk about.  
  
Blinking, Yami nodded and was about to ask what he wanted to talk about when she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning to look behind her, she saw her mother striding towards them with a determined look on her face and inferred that her mother probably wanted them to do more clothes fitting. "Let's talk somewhere else," she said quickly, twisting her wrist out of Seto's grip and grabbed his hand herself, dragging him off, mind racing through their options. They ran until they reached a small alcove in a fairly deserted wing of the palace.  
  
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Yami asked, leaning with her back against the wall as she caught her breath.  
  
"Um...," Seto said, trying to organize his thoughts into some semblance of order. He was unsuccessful, as his brain was babbling rather incoherently about how soft and smooth Yami's skin was and how nice it felt to hold her hand in his. "I wanted to talk about us," he said, finally pulling himself together.  
  
"Us?" Yami asked, looking rather confused.  
  
"Yes, us," Seto said, looking at her seriously. "I was thinking about it, and I realized that while we both don't want to get married to each other, we were making it harder on ourselves by being antagonistic."  
  
"If I recall correctly," Yami said, arching one eyebrow. "*You* started the hostility. Anyways," she continued before Seto could speak. "Was there anything else you wanted to tell me about your revelation?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, there is," Seto said, giving her a slightly dirty look. "I was thinking that perhaps we could be companions or friends; it might make this whole forced-marriage thing easier to live with. Would that be all right with you?" he asked, wondering why he was suddenly so nervous about her answer.  
  
"Of course," Yami said, smiling brilliantly, and Seto was made aware of a burning ache deep inside of him. "I would rather be forced to marry a friend than an enemy, after all."  
  
"Is that so?" Seto asked in a low voice, eyes sweeping over her form. Realizing that she was still holding his hand, Yami flushed slightly and tried to drop it, only to discover that Seto was holding on to her hand and apparently had no intentions of letting go as he took a step forward, eyes dark with an unidentifiable emotion. She stared up at him, back still against the wall with her breath coming in short, quick gasps, and the ache spread from his loins to every part of him. He came ever closer and caught a trace of her scent, one of sand and the sun, all the more tantalizing because of its purity, and it was no longer an ache he felt, but fire. He was so close now that he was almost pinning her to the wall, almost overwhelmed by his desire, leaning closer and closer until-  
  
"Imoutochan?" Came the cry, far away, but not far enough to be ignored, the voice unmistakably Kage's, who would undoubtedly find them soon.  
  
"Until we meet again then," Seto said, voice husky as he raised the hand still clasped in his to his lips, placing a soft kiss upon the knuckles. As he turned, he caught a glimpse of wide eyes and blush-stained cheeks and the fire abated the tiniest bit. Then he was gone.  
  
Yami stood, trembling slightly and staring wide-eyed ahead of her, seeing nothing. And that was how her brother found her, minutes later.  
  
"Are you all right, imoutochan?" he asked anxiously with worried eyes.  
  
Yami blinked and looked at him as though just noticing his presence. "I'm fine, aniki," she said quietly as the two walked away from the alcove.  
  
"What were you doing back there?" Kage asked, trying not to seem too concerned.  
  
"Just thinking," Yami answered lightly. Thinking about the odd fluttery feeling in her heart and the sensation of his lips upon her skin.  
  
~ To be continued ~  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Saria: All children and/or innocents, leave now if you haven't already. This gets less kid-friendly as it goes on, not more; trust me. Anyways, all you non-innocent people: are you scared yet? ^_^;;; And I have found that I cannot write ecchi!Seto (named appropriately by Masaki-sama) for long without bursting into giggles. Don't ask. But I shall try to keep him perverted because I like to be amused and I would probably be murdered by Masaki-sama if I didn't. . . Leave me a review stating how scarred you are now by your trip into my subconscious! ^-^  
  
Until next chapter (in which there might be a wedding!),  
  
Saria-the-green-haired 


	3. Chapter Three

Warnings: Same as usual. Though, this chapter is semi-fluffy in the beginning, but it gets more serious towards the end. Kiddies, if you haven't left already, leave NOW.  
  
Pairing: Please say you know this.  
  
Disclaimer: Kage is MINE. And yes, the rest is the same.  
  
Notes: I feel odd. It's raining~! ^_^ :dances: :sniff: Marching season is over so I shall have more time. I feel quite odd right now, and my writing will probably reflect it.  
  
Blueberry Shortcake: It's adorable? XD Okay...  
  
Kaiyo no Hime: Glomped? I'll try. :wicked grin: Remind me, though, or else I'll forget. ^_^;; Though, glomped by who? Anyone or a specific person?  
  
The Incarnation Pokemon: Technically, it's not really a sequel. It's more like a really long side story. :nods: Something like that. And what thoughts of things to come? oo;;  
  
Masaki-sama: Yes, ecchi!Seto is very interesting. Wedding night scene? Er, yes, but it probably won't be what you're expecting. Please don't murder me. :hides: And this story is NOT going past lime. It probably won't even get to that actually, as I'd die of embarrassment. That or the giggles. Any sexual stuff will probably be very vague. :smiles nervously:  
  
RD: Yes, they do, and it's all coming in due time. :grins:  
  
And I'm not sure if the Millennium Items were called that in Egypt but I don't really care.  
  
One thing about my fic "Devotion": I received a review that, quite frankly, is annoying me.  
  
"Moshi-Moshi! that's hi in simoan^__^ Saria, do you know that a millennium is 2000 years? I suppose not^__^U neway, it is so if Yami is over 5 millenia old, she is over 10,000 years old! she would have had to have been born in or before the year 12,002 B.C.!!! *breathes heavily* sorry, HAD to point that out though to keep 'her'*screen goes wide to reveal Yami being held back by two girls who look a lot like 'her', a girl who looks the same only w/ different color patterened hair, and two three year olds one w/ traditional Yami hair (spiky) and the other w/ hair like the 3rd girl described* from killing you. As you can see, Yami is indeed NOT a girl and in fact is married and has two children. Yaam, Yugioh II, Anna and Yami, please show yourselves to the authoress. *the 3-yr-olds, the girl w/ different hair and Yami step into the light* "Hewwo, I am 'ugioh dis is my sista Anna, *whispering* Don' cawl her Ann AHEM, dis is my mama, an' dis is my daddy. *points to Yaam and Yami when saying the last part* Bye-bye"  
  
sincerely,  
  
the author formerly known as YG.  
  
"an' her yamis, me, 'ugioh, my sista Anna, my mama an' Aunt Mi" (Mi is Yami's older identical twin sister by five minutes and Ya was the other girl who looked like Yami. Ya is 10 min. older than Yami and Yami also has a twin brother. Yami is older than Yame by 5 min. Thay are a set of identical quadruplets ^__^)"  
  
Okay, first off, a millennium is NOT 2000 years. I looked it up myself. It's ONE thousand years, as most normal people know. And then there's the thing about Yami. I KNOW he's not a girl, but this is fanfiction. FICTION. Meaning not true (and I can do whatever the hell I want). I know DAMN well what I'm talking about and you don't, so get OUT of my face about it and take your original characters with you. And at least I have fairly believable (identical quadruplets are VERY unlikely, thank you very much) original characters. I know that this person probably didn't mean to offend me (though they didn't leave their e-mail, so I'm having doubts), and I'm sorry that I sound so pissy and rude, but I'm sick and upset about various things. And don't get me started on the typos.  
  
P.S.: The review before this one from the same person (apparently), and it says that they love this fic. I am now disturbed at the inconsistencies, and somewhat annoyed and pissed because they had a comment that implied that yaoi (or being gay) was bad. That upsets me, but I won't rant, because I'm getting a headache. :scurries off to find some painkiller and neglects the fic for another day:  
  
Anyways, a day or two after my lovely not-rant...I have another review on *this* story by the same person. And now, I am calm, sane, and feeling better, so I shall not rant, no matter how much the millennium thing annoys me (so I'm a perfectionist, BITE me and I'll rip your head off). I *will* comment on the things that most people seem to be commenting on/asking about though. A present-day *sequel*?! o_o;; This story's universe is NOT related to the universe in "Devotion," except for the idea of Yami being a girl and having a twin brother. The two stories do NOT have the same or even similar timelines, as Kage will not be dying anytime in the near future (and I thought I mentioned somewhere in "Devotion" that Kage died when he and Yami were around twelve); therefore, I cannot write a sequel to this story that relates in any way to my little epilogue clip in "Devotion." (Said epilogue clip was mostly to amuse myself and to practice writing dialogue without references, something which I have the bad habit of doing) And about the sequel to this story: if I get the inspiration, I MAY write a sequel to this story in the present-day, but seeing as none has bitten me in the butt so far (that's what this story did ~_~), I somewhat doubt there will be a sequel. Besides, I promised someone that I would finish my other two stories, which have been neglected for probably half a year. ^_^;;;; And I can write perfectly well without a title. I actually tend to think of the title and the summary last, actually. ^^;;;;  
  
And this IS a rant. Whoopsies. Moving on to the story. Yeeeesssssss...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Trouble of the Arranged Sort  
  
By Saria-the-green-haired who knows nothing about traditional Egyptian weddings so she says "stuff it" and makes up her own, but she DOES look up some Egypt shtuff that she probably mangles anyways  
  
~* Chapter Three in which there is bonding time between the groom-to-be and his future brother-in-law! Sort of, anyways. Actually, not really since said characters are being horribly stubborn *~  
  
Grunts, shouts, and the sound of metal meeting metal filled the air a month and a half later in one of the palace courtyards.  
  
"Come on, aniki!" Yami called, dodging nimbly out of the reach of his sword. "That one missed me by a mile!"  
  
"Grr...," came the eloquent reply, Kage renewing the ferocity in his stabs. His sister kept dodging, dancing just beyond reach. "Remind me again why I have to practice with you," he asked as she retaliated with a thrust of her own that barely missed, the wind whistling by his ears.  
  
"Because father was tired of finding the guards all beat up when I challenged them?" Yami asked, all innocence while she drove her brother to the defensive, striking quickly. Watching from the sidelines, Seto watched the siblings appreciatively (the younger more than the elder). Their actions were graceful and both moved seamlessly, obviously expert swordsmen. His gaze shifted to the younger of the two twins. Clearly the weaker of the two, she made up for it in speed, sword flashing and hair flying. Laughter bubbled on her lips as her brother grew clearly frustrated at being unable to hit her, her eyes twinkling merrily. Slowly, Seto's gaze shifted downward, still appreciative. Her skirt was the shortest today then he'd ever seen it, probably to provide a freer range of movement. Not that he (or the rest of the male audience, which consisted of soldiers and servants walking by) minded...  
  
With a burst of speed fueled by his anger, Kage caught his sister's sword and disarmed her, her sword flying behind them while his hovered in front of her throat. "I win," he said, panting.  
  
"So you did," Yami replied, smiling slightly. "But I think you've been lax in your training; you used to beat me much more easily."  
  
"Oh be quiet," Kage grumbled. Both started when they heard applause around them. Looking up, they found their audience clapping, apparently impressed by their sparring. Spotting Seto, Yami made her way towards him, picking up her discarded sword along the way, with Kage following reluctantly.  
  
"What did you think?" she asked by way of greeting. The two had been friends ever since that incident almost two months ago, though they avoided talking about what had happened in that deserted wing of the palace. Almost subconsciously, both tended to avoid contact with one another.  
  
"It was...interesting," he replied evenly, making a valiant attempt to keep his eyes on her face. Apparently noticing this, Kage glared meaningfully at him from behind his sister's back. "I was wondering if there were any more places around the palace that you could show me," he continued. Yami had taken to showing him the palace and various important places around it. While she was not allowed to go far without a bodyguard of some sort (he discovered that she had been somewhat amiss in going so far on that horseback ride alone), there was still much that she could show him. Their parents approved wholeheartedly of the process, whilst Kage disapproved just as enthusiastically. He would never directly state it to his beloved sister, but his glares conveyed his meaning just as easily.  
  
"I think that's just about it," Yami said thoughtfully. "Oh, wait! I still haven't shown you the Temple yet!" she exclaimed. "How could I have forgotten? Would you like to leave right now?" she asked.  
  
"If that's all right with you," he answered.  
  
Yami turned to her brother. "Do you want to come with us, aniki?" she asked, looking at her brother questioningly, apparently ignoring the tension between Kage and his future High Priest. "Father says you haven't been out of the palace much lately..."  
  
"I guess I'll come," Kage answered dubiously as a servant took the swords from Yami and himself.  
  
Yami's smile was enough to light up the world. "Great!" she said happily, apparently so overjoyed at the prospect of spending time with her older brother. "Let's go!" she called, already far ahead. Seto and Kage glanced (glared) at each other briefly before running to catch up with Yami, walking on opposite sides of her.  
  
******************************************************************  
  
"This is the Temple," Yami said a short while later, gesturing at a tall and grandiose building surrounded by statues and covered with inscriptions.  
  
"So this is where we're going to work?" Seto asked, looking around. Kage gave him another glare.  
  
Yami nodded. "Right, most of the current priests and priestesses are getting quite old so I've already started partially taking over for some of them," she added. As they headed towards the entrance, Yami closed her eyes briefly and stopped walking, Kage stopping as well, though he looked utterly bored. "Everything's normal," Yami said, opening her eyes again. "A slight thinning in the east side, but nothing big; I can mend it later," she reported.  
  
"Well, that's good," Kage said, smiling as he and his sister walked into the temple.  
  
"What was that?" Seto asked curiously, following them. Kage gave him a condescending look whilst Yami looked slightly guilty.  
  
"I forgot to tell you, didn't I? I was checking the barriers around the Temple, wards if you will. I check them and mend any weakening ones whenever I come, which is usually once a month or at least once in two months," she explained.  
  
The trio walked through the temple, Yami giving short explanations of all the rooms. Various priests and other holy persons they encountered throughout the temple bowed deeply to Kage and Yami, giving Seto curious looks. Apparently, Yami was well-known, many of the priests greeting her familiarly.  
  
At long last, Yami said that there was only one room left to show Seto, much to his relief. The Temple was huge! Looking around at the carvings on the walls, Seto nearly ran into Yami, who had stopped again. Her eyes were closed, an expression of deep concentration on her face. Frowning slightly, she opened her eyes.  
  
"One of the walls has been weakened," she said.  
  
"Isn't that fairly common?" Kage asked. "After all, there are conflicting powers within."  
  
"It's been almost completely eroded," Yami said, looking solemn. "From the outside."  
  
"Oh," Kage said, frowning as well. "Why don't you mend it now? If anything had happened, someone would have told us, so it's probably nothing important." Seto blinked, confused. What was so important about the room? He could feel the powerful barriers around it, but could not understand why they might want to place such strong barriers around a single room.  
  
"You're right," Yami said, walking to a wall. Placing a hand on it, she closed her eyes and began to chant. Slowly, she began to glow, white magic collecting around her. Gradually, the glow began to seep into the wall and Seto felt the power of the barriers growing stronger. Finally, Yami opened her eyes and pulled her hand away, the light around her fading. Taking a step, she stumbled and Seto caught her elbow, steadying her. The two stared at each other, Yami blushing ever so slightly, while Kage, who had been studying the magical barriers intently, started and glared at the two of them.  
  
"Do you want to see the Items?" Yami asked, pulling her arm out of Seto's grip and heading towards the door, cheeks still faintly pink.  
  
"The Items?" Seto repeated. "What are these Items? It sounds familiar, but I can't quite place it..."  
  
"The Millennium Items," Kage said patronizingly, as though Seto should know already.  
  
"The Millennium Items are kept here?!" Seto asked. He had heard of the Millennium Items, everyone had, but he had not known they were stored here.  
  
"Naturally; where else would they be?" Kage replied. "After all, the pharaoh uses the Puzzle and the High Priest the Rod so the Items need to be close at hand...besides, there is no safer place to store Items of such great power."  
  
Yami ran one hand down the door and it opened slowly. Immediately, Shadow magic poured through the door, running up against the newly reinforced barrier. Even though he was separated from the magic, Seto could feel its overwhelming strength and power. "Follow my path exactly," Yami called over her shoulder as she entered the room. "There are many traps for the unwary." Apprehensively, Kage and Seto did so.  
  
The room was large, yet simple, especially compared to the other rooms in the temple. There was a small pedestal in the center of the room, inscriptions carved on it. The pedestal was covered with a richly embroidered velvet cloth of the deepest black, and upon the cloth lay seven golden items that hummed with power. They looked so innocuous lying there, a single beam of light illuminating them, reflecting their expert craftsmanship. Slowly, Kage and Seto followed Yami to stand before the pedestal, staring at the Items in awe.  
  
"Hm, everything looks fine," Yami said, scanning the room carefully.  
  
"Wait," Seto said. "Shouldn't your father be wearing the Puzzle if he's the pharaoh?" he asked uncertainly.  
  
"And what about the Rod?" Kage asked. "Shouldn't it too be gone?"  
  
"Oh, father hardly ever wears the Puzzle anymore now except for duels," Yami explained. "And the current High Priest only uses the Rod for important ceremonies and rituals. The rest of the time, the Rod is kept here for safekeeping."  
  
"Oh," Seto said, before listening intently to Yami's explanations about each of the Items and their uses.  
  
Kage watched the two silently and noted how, once in a while, Yami would glance shyly at Seto before turning away just as quickly. Close as he was to his twin, he knew exactly what was happening, and it troubled him. He was silent for the rest of their trip, lost in his thoughts.  
  
******************************************************************  
  
When they arrived back at the palace, they were told that the wedding would be in five days. There would be at least a week of feasts and celebration, and as the wedding would occur exactly seven days before the annual festival in which all their gods were honored (or respectfully cursed), it was likely that the festivities would go on for even longer.  
  
******************************************************************  
  
"Are you all right?" Kage asked his sister later, both seated cross-legged on his bed.  
  
"Of course I am, aniki," she replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"  
  
"Well, the wedding's in less than a week," Kage said carefully. "I thought you'd be a little upset about that..."  
  
"Oh, that," Yami said. "It should be all right; I don't really mind as much as I did before." There was a period of uneasy silence.  
  
"You really love him, don't you?" Kage asked quietly. His sister glanced away, all the answer he needed.  
  
"I know you don't approve...," Yami started to say.  
  
"It's not that," Kage said. "It's just that...you're my sister and I don't want to see you get hurt."  
  
"Hurt? Why would I get hurt?" Yami asked, genuinely puzzled. "Seto would never hurt me."  
  
"Not on purpose," Kage said softly, with genuine concern. "But he could hurt you without even realizing it, and that's what I'm worried about."  
  
"I'm not made of glass, aniki," Yami replied. "I won't break; I'm stronger than you seem to think I am."  
  
"I know you're strong, imoutochan," Kage said, wrapping his arms around his sister in a protective embrace. "But I just don't want you to get hurt."  
  
Hugging him back, Yami did her best to allay her brother's fears. "I'll be fine; trust me." Pulling back, she looked him in the eyes. "Besides, aniki, you can't protect me forever."  
  
"I know," Kage whispered, eyes sad. "But I can try."  
  
Yami stared at her brother for a while before pinning him down and tickling him mercilessly, trying to cheer him up.  
  
******************************************************************  
  
The queen was discussing what types of food they should serve at the wedding with a servant and Seto's mother when a giggling Yami ran past them. A few seconds later, an annoyed-looking Kage dashed past, yelling loudly and obviously in pursuit of his sister.  
  
******************************************************************  
  
The days before the wedding were packed with tension and anticipation; it seemed that all the people were excited about the wedding. The bride's brother was probably the only exception.  
  
On the morning of the wedding, Kage approached his future brother-in-law.  
  
"May I speak with you?" he asked, attempting to be polite.  
  
"I suppose," Seto said, looking disdainfully at the shorter boy. "What do you want?"  
  
Fortunately, there were no people around when Kage smiled coldly at Seto, power flaring around him. "I just wanted to tell you something: if you EVER hurt my sister in any way, I'll START by ripping out your entrails and strangling you with them."  
  
"I see we're feeling violent today," Seto remarked calmly, raising an eyebrow at the threat.  
  
"Just as long as we understand each other," Kage said, leaving the room.  
  
******************************************************************  
  
The wedding took place outside, as there were too many people who wished to watch to fit them all inside any one building. People had climbed trees, sat on buildings, done *anything* to get a better view of the proceedings. It was a joyous day indeed. Everyone fell silent and cleared a pathway as a horn was blown, signaling the start of the wedding. From a distance, a pair of chocolate-brown eyes watched the following events interestedly.  
  
There was a unanimous, hushed silence as the bride, the beloved daughter of their equally beloved pharaoh, appeared. Her head held high, she walked regally down the aisle, staring straight ahead, her gaze never wavering; if her hands trembled, no one noticed. Her dress was a work of art, linen of the finest quality dyed crimson and gold, set with gorgeous, shimmering gems. The gently clinging bodice displayed her finely sculpted form, and the long skirt fluttered behind her in the wind, its movements echoed by her scarlet cloak. She wore no headdress, only a simple crown of gold, fashioned like the bracelets that adorned her bare arms. Her neck was devoid of any jewelry, as were her ears. Her hair, now just past her shoulders, had been left unrestrained; scarlet strands of hair were tossed about by the wind, mixing with ebony locks and golden bangs.  
  
"Doesn't she look like a queen?" People whispered amongst themselves, and others nodded their agreement. She truly looked the part, elegant and unruffled, and if the pharaoh's daughter seemed paler than usual, they discounted it as nerves. The whispers cut off abruptly as the groom came into view, and there was more than one admiring sigh from the young girls.  
  
Seto, betrothed of the pharaoh's daughter and future High Priest (the news had leaked out somehow), looked quite dashing garbed in a linen, knee- length loincloth colored blue and gold. His chest was bare and he wore no trinkets but still managed to look handsome all the same. His cloak, azure to his fiancée's crimson, was embroidered with his family's name and crest while Yami's bore the emblem of the royal family. His expression and bearing as he walked towards the waiting altar, the Priest, and his fiancée were full of confidence, betraying no signs of anxiety or nervousness. His steps barely faltered as he came to stand opposite his soon-to-be wife, and her brother, standing faithfully by her side, scowled at him. She looks beautiful, he thought as he took Yami's hand in his to start the ceremony, and he felt that aching desire swell again.  
  
The people watched in silence as the two began the ceremony, voices clear and unfaltering as they recited the ancient chants hardly any understood anymore, chants more binding than any oath. The two could never end the marriage and, once married, the two could never marry again, even if their spouse was dead, lest they bring the greatest dishonor of all to their family.  
  
Slowly, the ceremony drew to an end, and the two prepared to perform the last ritual; slowly, Seto lowered his lips to Yami's. And as their lips touched, the single candle burning on the altar blazed even more brightly than before, causing many people to shield their eyes. When they lowered their hands, they gasped in amazement at the wondrous sight before them. A sacred ibis made of glowing flames was perched on the altar, staring unblinkingly at the newlyweds. As the people watched in awe, it spread its wings and took flight, circling around Seto and Yami, leaving a ring of fire in the air around them, before disappearing in another burst of flame. There was a moment of wondrous silence before the pharaoh made his way to the couple and stood in front of his people, spreading his arms wide.  
  
"Let the celebrations begin."  
  
******************************************************************  
  
The night's festivities finally ended hours later, when the sun had set and the waxing moon had risen, the autumn stars shining brightly. Amidst good- natured winks and suggestive looks, the newlyweds were escorted to their new chambers.  
  
The rooms were beautiful, Yami reflected glumly as the door shut behind her. *They* weren't the problem, she thought as she took off her crown, placing it gently on the end table by the spacious bed. It was the thought of what everyone was expecting to happen, came the thought as she seated herself on the bed and the beautiful gold bracelets joined the crown. No matter how much part of her wanted to give in to her burning need, there was still a part of her that was frightened to death at the thought of what was supposed to happen on that bed. Lost in her fears, she jumped as she felt and heard someone else sit down next to her.  
  
Seto looked at Yami closely, watching her shoulders tense as she turned to face him. He noted how wide her eyes were and how she began to tremble faintly when he shifted closer. One look into wanting fearful ruby eyes told him all he needed to know, and what he needed to do, regardless of what his hormones wanted.  
  
"We don't have to do anything if you don't want to, you know," he murmured as he carefully drew her into a hug, holding her as though she would shatter at the faintest touch.  
  
"Then what do you want to do?" Yami asked, tilting her head to look up at him, eyes still wide as her trembling slowly abated to mere shivers.  
  
Not what his asinine body wanted to do, was Seto's first thought. "Sleep, maybe?" he asked wryly, trying to ignore the fact that she was in VERY close proximity to him.  
  
"Oh," Yami said, considering this thought. "Okay," she replied finally, moving to the center of the bed, which meant Seto had to follow her or see just how far his arms could stretch. He lay down, arms still wrapped around Yami who fell asleep almost instantly, snuggling unconsciously into the warm embrace, her fears apparently put to rest for the time being.  
  
Seto lay awake for a long time, looking thoughtfully at the sleeping figure in his arms.  
  
~ To be continued ~  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Saria: A completely pointless note: I find the word "loincloth" horribly amusing(meaning it makes me giggle hysterically), probably because it makes me think of a scene in the movie "George of the Jungle" where the mother of the girl says to George something along the lines of "If you ever go near my daughter again, I'll rip off your reason for wearing that loincloth." Yes, the weirdest things amuse me. ^_^;  
  
Also, you probably would have gotten this chapter about four days ago, albeit a lot shorter, but I had promised Masaki-sama that I would include the wedding night scene so yesh... And updates will probably not be every week, as that was mostly a fluke. I can't tell you exactly which day the next chapter will come out on, but I will usually post the chapters before I go to school in the morning, so look for them at around 7 am PST. And don't quote me on that. . . And I was going to post this yesterday, but FFN was being STUPID and not working for me. ~_~;  
  
And ecchi!Seto has been briefly overshadowed by caring!Seto (who we usually see once in a blue moon), but he'll be back next chapter, along with horny!Seto. ^_^;;;;  
  
I am finding, however, that I am running up against semi-writers' block. It's only partial, as I can still write, but veeeeeeeeeeery slowly, as my brain has apparently decided that this is a pointless endeavor and that I should write other stories. --;;;  
  
Until next chapter, in which there will be lime (probably vague since I'd die of embarrassment if I wrote anything detailed),  
  
Saria-the-green-haired  
  
P.S. If you want to know why Kage's attitude towards Seto in this story is so different from his in "Devotion," request it in a review, and I may write a little rant-thing at the beginning of the next chapter. Said rant- thing will probably not make very much sense, however. ^_^; 


	4. Chapter Four

Warnings: Lime. Granted, it probably won't be very detailed unless my brain decides NOT to go hysterical while I'm writing, but it will be lime all the same. If you don't know what that means and/or you're an innocent, WHY are you still here? Leave now, or forever hold your peace about this story. Same goes for the rest of you, innocent or not. There will also be more magic stuff that is completely made up. So sue me. And I'm too lazy to change the rating, so nyah.  
  
Pairing: Seto/Yami het.  
  
Disclaimer: If you recognize it from the show, it isn't mine. If you don't, it probably *is* mine, and I bite. Hard. So don't take without my permission.  
  
Notes: I'm cold, FFN is STILL being idiotic, and I start P.E. today. Oh goodie. And I'm too lazy for a beta, so I occasionally post things a day or so after I've finished them because I'm obsessively rereading it and revising it, though if I'm feeling lazy it goes up as it is. ^_^; And that was completely pointless, I know. And, as promised to Masaki-sama, ecchi!Seto is rather prominent in this chapter. (Actually, it's more horny!Seto, but it's pretty much the same thing, right?) And yes, I'm dying of embarrassment. Also, after watching the first episode that mentions the God Cards, aaaaaalllllllllll I have to say is that Seto REALLY needs to work on his evil laugh. ^_^;  
  
Masaki-sama: ^_^;;; Aheh...I warned you, didn't I?  
  
RD: =D Don't they? :smiles: And Seto is probably the only character I can think of off the top of my head that can be sweet one moment and overly hormonal the next. =) And pull it off decently, I mean.  
  
The Incarnation Pokemon: I was not aware that Seto was being in any way cute in that last scene, but sure. In my opinion, he is rather un-cute for most of this chapter. But then, that's just me. ^_^; And I DO wish to see that picture you were talking about! :stares hopefully:  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
Devotion  
  
By Saria-the-green-haired who already has one white hair for reasons unknown, but they probably aren't good  
  
~* Chapter Four or let's take a deeper look into Saria's mind and try not to be overwhelmed by the sheer illogical-ness it possess OR how gracefully(or un-gracefully, you decide) can Saria attempt to reconcile Kage (who is being rather sulky) and Seto (who is enjoying the afterglow very much)? *~  
  
"Come on, you two!" Came the cry from many, and many more agreed, on this night of festivities during the annual festival, the excitement of the people added to the enthusiasm from the biggest wedding to occur in years.  
  
"No, it's-" Yami tried to say, as she had for many nights, but countless pairs of hands were already pulling her out of her seat and pushing her to the middle of the crowd, where her husband stood waiting, having already been through the same ordeal. Hesitantly, she took his hand and began to move her feet in time to the music that was being played by a small group of musicians.  
  
"You refused so vigorously all those other times," Seto teased quietly as the two began to dance. "One would think that you didn't like me."  
  
Blushing faintly as one of his arms moved around her waist, Yami slanted him a glare. "Are you telling me you'd rather be stared at by the entire nation?" she asked, which was true, as most people were watching the two dance.  
  
"You mean I'm not normally?" Seto asked, a playful grin lighting up his handsome features. Yami rolled her eyes at him, and looking at her, Seto felt that the nation should be staring at *her*(In point of fact, most of the males there already were, with the exception of those related to her, probably owing to the fact that the bodice of her dress was rather tight). She looked absolutely stunning in a dress that looked as though it was made of blood-red wine and the ruby jewelry she wore seemed to sparkle from an internal light, pulsing faintly like human hearts. Entwined in her hair, pulling it back and leaving only silk-spun golden bangs to frame her slender face, were graceful strands of rubies set in gold. It was times like these, when he could smell her uniquely familiar scent and feel her skin against his, enflaming his senses, when it was hard to resist the urge to give in to his rather put-out hormones. But he had seen the fear that surpassed the desire in her eyes and, as he told himself firmly, she was his friend(albeit his wife as well, and very attractive at that), and he would not do anything until she was ready. So, they had not done anything besides sleep (and talk) in their chambers, and Yami was almost as comfortable in his presence now as she was in her brother's, who she was constantly hugging in a sisterly sort of way (Not that he was jealous of the close bond the twins shared, not at all). The casual, friendly touches she had recently started giving him helped take the edge off his burning need, but not by much. Though, speaking of her brother...  
  
"Aniki!" Yami called delightedly as Kage came into view, looking bored out of his mind as he danced stoically with a high-class girl that his mother had probably blackmailed him into dancing with.  
  
"Having fun, imoutochan?" Kage asked, rather pointedly ignoring his brother- in-law except for a brief glare, which was returned quite enthusiastically.  
  
"More fun than you appear to be having," Yami replied, smiling cheerfully. "Loosen up a bit, will you, aniki?"  
  
"Mm," Kage replied noncommittally before leading his partner off without a backwards glance.  
  
"I wonder what's gotten into aniki lately," Yami said to herself. "He's been acting so oddly..."  
  
Seto offered no reply, as he was privately wondering if Yami had not sensed the hostility between Kage and himself.  
  
"Oh well," Yami started to say, but the rest of her sentence was lost when the music they were dancing to grew louder and sped up. The two soon gave up on trying to talk and began to dance in earnest, and the rest of the evening was very enjoyable.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
"That was fun," Yami mused as she and Seto entered their chambers later that night.  
  
"Yeah," Seto said absently, watching as Yami seated herself on the bed and began removing her jewelry, sliding the ruby bracelets off her wrists. "Doesn't it make you wish you hadn't refused to dance all last week?" he said, only half kidding.  
  
Yami shoved him off the bed. She had just finished taking off her earrings when he sat back down, and he was struck by a spontaneous thought that he acted on before he had really thought about it.  
  
"Hold still," he said, gently pushing her hair to the side and unclasping her necklace. He was not particularly adept at the task (seeing as he himself did not wear necklaces), and his fingers brushed against her skin, causing both of them to shiver slightly. Finally, he got the necklace off and pulled it away, his hands lingering against her skin a bit longer than was necessary.  
  
"Thank you," Yami said quietly as he placed the necklace with her other jewelry.  
  
"You're welcome," Seto said as he turned back. "Do you need help with your hair as well?" he asked, noticing that the gold and ruby strings looked rather hopelessly tangled in her hair. Without waiting for a reply, he pulled out the jeweled brooch that held her hair back, watching as her hair spilled over her shoulders. Slowly, he began to remove the jeweled ropes that might as well have been a part of her hair, judging from how hard it was to get them off.  
  
When he had pulled the last golden thread from her hair, Seto ran his fingers through her hair for a while, marveling at the silken softness. Bemused, Yami turned to look at him, and slowly, one of his hands moved to caress her cheek as he leaned closer, their eyes closing slowly.  
  
The kiss was gentle and chaste at first, but it was soon overpowered and the lip lock quickly turned passionate and lustful, Seto's hands working busily at unfastening Yami's dress. As his hands ran over smooth skin, the rest of Seto's brain caught up with him and he pulled away, breaking the kiss.  
  
"Are you sure about this?" Seto asked, panting slightly as he trembled with barely suppressed desire. "Because if you don't want to-" he said as his body whined about how he chose the worst times to develop a conscience and why couldn't he just go ahead and do it because he was so close and she seemed pretty willing anyways and this was really getting annoying.  
  
Yami's only response was to pull him into another kiss.  
  
Seto took that to mean that she had no objections.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Seto's first thought upon waking up was that half of him was freezing and the other half pleasantly warm, and why was that exactly? His second thought consisted of realization of what had happened last night (oh yeeeeeeeeeeah) and, damn, they should do that more often.  
  
Opening his eyes, he discovered why he was cold and warm at the same time. Smiling down at his reason for being warm, who was in the same state of dress as him, Seto attempted to pull the blankets over them, but was stopped when a hand thumped his chest rather hard.  
  
"Stop moving," came the irritated comment from the owner of said hand, who glared rather resentfully up at him before snuggling back into his side.  
  
"How long have you been awake for?" Seto asked curiously as his hormones responded very promptly to the current situation.  
  
"Five seconds," came the prompt reply. "But I can be asleep in half that, if you'd leave me alone."  
  
"But where's the fun in sleeping?" Seto asked, grinning widely as his hands began moving lower. "I'd much rather do other things..."  
  
"Well, *I'd* much rather sleep," Yami said, giving him a baleful look as she slapped the wandering hands away. "And you're supposed to be a priest, aren't you?" She asked. "Priests aren't supposed to act like this, you know."  
  
"Says who? No one said that priests were supposed to be frigid," Seto replied. "Besides, I'm not a priest yet," he continued, nibbling affectionately on her neck.  
  
Yami gave a small moan as his hands resumed their downward path before collecting herself and glaring at him. "Priest or not, we're supposed to be at the festival soon," she stated, trying to pull away, but Seto refused to budge.  
  
"No one's going to care if we're late," Seto said matter-of-factly. "It's not like the festival can't start without us."  
  
"True," Yami admitted. That was all she got out before Seto decided that the time for talking was past and sealed his mouth over hers.  
  
There was very little coherent conversation after that.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
"You had better not expect children for a few years," Yami muttered later as the two finally made their way to the festival.  
  
"Okay," Seto said agreeably. "But it won't interfere with our sex life, right?" he asked, draping an arm across her shoulders and whispering the question in her ear.  
  
"Probably not," Yami said, losing the battle with a furious blush as he gently nipped her ear.  
  
"That's all right then," Seto said, grinning. "Want to go back to our rooms?"  
  
"I've created a monster," Yami sighed, casting her eyes to the heavens as the two walked towards their parents, completely unaware of the people around them staring at the (literally) glowing teenagers.  
  
Afterglow, indeed.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
"So, imoutochan," Kage said calmly when he managed to separate his sister and her husband later. "Have fun last night?"  
  
Yami blushed crimson. "Aniki!" she hissed quietly, completely missing the hint of scorn in her brother's voice.  
  
"I'll take that as a `yes`," Kage continued. "I suppose you had lots of fun with your dear husband," he asked, and this time, Yami did not miss the contempt in his voice when he spoke of Seto.  
  
"What do you have against Seto, aniki?" Yami asked, frowning slightly. "Why do you dislike him so much?"  
  
"It's nothing," Kage said dismissively.  
  
"Aniki...," Yami said, not believing him for a second.  
  
"I told you, it's nothing," Kage repeated, a little more testily this time. "But let me ask you a few questions, little sister: how does he feel about you? Are you two just friends that happen to be married? Better yet, tell me why you think you slept together. Is it because you two both love each other or just because of hormones?"  
  
Yami winced as he asked the one question that she had been asking herself all morning. "I don't know, aniki," she whispered, looking at the ground.  
  
"That's why I worry," Kage said quietly, pulling her into a gentle hug.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
A month later, the current pharaoh announced that he was no longer wished to rule and would hand his crown and title over to whoever won the tournament of Shadow Games that was to follow.  
  
Kage won, naturally, and it was decided that he, his sister, and Seto would all be given their respective positions at the same time, though the main focus would be on Kage's coronation.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Kage fidgeted as he stood just inside the Temple doors, waiting for the signal of the coronation's beginning, so he could step outside, along with his sister and brother-in-law. His mouth twisted sourly at the thought of his brother-in-law, who was standing just behind him, also waiting. His sister had not yet arrived.  
  
"Nervous?" Seto asked amusedly as he watched Kage pick at the ornamental bangles on his arms.  
  
"As if," Kage shot back, glaring disdainfully at the taller boy.  
  
Seto made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat before realizing who he was talking to and glaring right back. There was a moment of silence that was broken by Kage.  
  
"Why do you hate me?" he asked, eyes curious. Though he would never admit it, he was hurt by the older boy's hatred. When Seto had first come, before there had been any announcements of engagements and the like, he had been overjoyed at the thought of a friend, someone that he could play the Shadow Games against just for fun. But that had all gone to Hell, he thought wryly, once he had defeated the older boy and Seto's engagement to his sister had been proclaimed.  
  
"I don't hate you," Seto replied after a moment of thought. "I dislike you," he said, seeing Kage's incredulous look. "As to why, it's because you defeated me; I was undefeated, the champion, and you, a little squirt, beat me! You are my rival, and I won't rest until I defeat you."  
  
"You dislike me because of THAT?" Kage asked disbelievingly. "Just because I beat you in one game?! That's so stupid!" he exclaimed. "Why can't you just forget it already?"  
  
"I'll forget it once *you* forget that I'm married to your sister and stop trying to cast death magic through your eyes whenever I get near her," Seto retorted.  
  
"I don't glare at you because of THAT," Kage said. "I glare at you for reasons other than the fact that you're married to MY little sister."  
  
"And those would be?" Seto asked, interested to hear what Kage's response would be.  
  
"Well," Kage said, wondering how the conversation had turned from Seto to himself. "You're an only child, so you wouldn't understand," he said, hoping Seto would drop it.  
  
He didn't.  
  
"Try me," Seto said.  
  
"All of our lives, I've protected her, since she's my little sister," Kage said softly, more to himself than his audience. "And we've always been very close, seeing as we're twins and all. We did everything together."  
  
"What does my coming here have to do with anything?" Seto asked, though he had an idea as to what it would be.  
  
"Everything," Kage replied. "Because you hated me, even though I just wanted to be your friend, and then you took my sister away from me. Between my lessons and the time she has to devote to you, I rarely even see her anymore, and we're not as close as we used to be, because of you. And I can't even protect her anymore, because she's never around to be protected; she's always with you."  
  
" Oh," Seto said, digesting this new information. "Well, I didn't mean to take your sister away from you, and I'm not going to hurt her, so you have no reason to hate me on her behalf."  
  
"Physically, perhaps you won't," Kage said, ignoring the first part of his statement. "But that's not the only way to hurt someone."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Seto asked, rather confused.  
  
"What I'm saying," Kage said, speaking slowly and carefully. "Is that you're already hurting my sister."  
  
"Say that again?" was Seto's reply. "How am I hurting Yami?"  
  
"She loves you, you idiot!" Kage snapped. "She'd do anything for you and you don't even know it, and that hurts her! You only think of her as a friend or possibly someone you have to treat like your wife, but that's it!"  
  
"She loves me?" Seto asked wonderingly. "I didn't know that..."  
  
"She loves you more than anything in the world," Kage said softly, calming down. Watching Seto with narrowed crimson eyes, he spoke again. "How do you feel about my sister? Answer me honestly."  
  
"She's my friend; I know that," Seto said, trying to think of how Yami made him feel. "And she makes me happy...she cheers me up and helps me with my problems. Whenever she's around, I feel...content, like I don't need anything else. I guess I love her too," Seto said, looking a little surprised at the revelation.  
  
"That's good," Kage said. "I won't have to kill you then."  
  
"I'm *so* relieved," Seto said, tone sarcastic but lacking the bitter loathing it used to hold when he spoke to Kage.  
  
Kage smiled at him, and the two were made aware of a sort of understanding between them. Even if they couldn't be friends, exactly, they didn't have to be enemies.  
  
"Ah! Sorry I'm late!" Came the cry a few minutes later, and both turned to see Yami running towards them, resplendent in her white robes.  
  
"What took you so long, imoutochan?" Kage asked as she stopped, breathing heavily.  
  
"The servants wanted to add `just one more bracelet` or piece of the jewelry; if I had worn everything they wanted me to wear, I wouldn't have been able to walk!" Yami said complainingly.  
  
"I see," Kage said, trying not to smile. "Lucky you escaped, isn't it then? And you're staring, Seto," he added, drawing Yami's attention to Seto who was, in fact, staring.  
  
"Those are nice robes," Seto said, recovering himself. "And I'm perfectly allowed to stare at my wife," he added, looking at Kage.  
  
"Then kindly limit it to staring," Kage said, smirking slightly. "Keep your hands off each other until later, you two."  
  
"Will do," Seto said, placing an arm around Yami and ignoring Kage's Look.  
  
"I see you two have resolved your differences," Yami said, sounding amused. She would have said more, but the three heard a trumpet blow outside, signaling the start of the coronation.  
  
"I love you too," Seto whispered in Yami's ear before he went to stand on Kage's other side in preparation for the ceremony.  
  
Yami turned to look at him, startled. He grinned at her, and she could feel an answering smile spread on her face. The smile stayed on her face as they walked through the Temple doors to stand before the waiting crowd. Kage and Seto weren't fighting anymore, Seto had said he loved her, and Kage was about to be pharaoh. Everything was perfect.  
  
And everything *was* perfect...for two years. Then, disaster struck.  
  
But that is another tale.  
  
~ The End ~  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
Saria: And this story is now finished. No more chapters under this title. However...note to self: NEVER listen to people who ask for sequels, because then I'll get an idea for a damned sequel, which is Bad. So, yes, there is a sequel planned for this, but said sequel will probably not come out soon, because I promised someone that I would finish my other two stories ("A Red Rose in Winter" and "Just One Little Shove At Jusenkyo...") as soon as I finished this one. So, I shall attempt to make good on my promise and work on those stories for now. Though, knowing me, I'll probably get around one chapter for each story up, then the idea for the sequel will throw a fit and demand I write at least the first chapter. So, if you wish to read the sequel (which WILL be in present-day) when it comes out, leave your e-mail in your review and I'll notify you as soon as it comes out.  
  
Until next story (whichever one I decide to write for first),  
  
Saria-then-green-haired 


End file.
